Companies that are registered with the MDEC should prepare their requests for foreign workers for 2018. Additionally, companies will not be able to submit new or renewal applications in 2018 until the new FKW projections are submitted and approved. The eXpats system will also be accepting projections starting Friday (8 Dec) and will affect employment passes, new, and renewal cases.

The implementation will mostly affect MDEC-registered companies with MSC and ICT status that are planning to hire foreign knowledge workers in 2018. BAL notes that delays in submitting the FKW projections will directly impact a company’s ability to apply for employment passes in 2018.

FKW projections must be approved before companies may apply for employment passes. MSC- and ICT-status companies may begin submitting FKW projections to the eXpats system starting today.

In the report, BAL commented: “Companies should submit their FKW projections for 2018 as early as possible if they intend to apply for employment passes by the beginning of 2018.”

As the standard processing timeline is five to 10 working days from the date of submission, BAL highlighted that companies expecting to hire large numbers of foreign workers should also anticipate the possibility of longer timelines if they are asked to submit additional documentation to support their requests for foreign workers.